Thing # 9

http://www.imagechef.com/ic/word_mosaic/

 I made this to say: You Are a Star!  This is the kind of phrase I want to use with my students. I thought it was very easy and fun to create.

 http://www.images-graphics-pics.com/signs/safety/clipart.asp?pic=microscope-science





Since I chose 2nd Grade Science as My Standard for our livetext project, I thought this would be appropriate.

I plan on using these sites to create images and phrases to help decorate my classroom and I think I can even incorporate them into some power-point presentations.

Thing # 8

I took this photo in 2008 at Busch Gardens in WilliamsBurg, Virgina.

For this assignment, I used the puzzle app. It was very easy to do and looks real neat too. I will be able to make actual puzzles that can be used in my class. I think that the students will react well to working puzzles with photos of their family pets or even pictures of their parents. I will admit that I am not accustomed to publishing too many personal photos online. I had already posted this on facebok so I was more comfortable using it for this project.




I also used the spell with Flickr app to create my name. I believe that this will also be a fun activity to do with students.

Thing # 7

http://www.flickr.com/photos/johnbullas/3754767976/
This photo was taken by Dr. John Bullas.
 I found that flickr has an amazing database of photos. I did have dificulty finding images that were not copyrighted that I could use for this assigment. I chose this picture because of the playful spirit that it reflects. One must always remember to be focused but maintain a light heart too. I did explore the groups and found that it was easy to follow a specific keyword to images. This will make it easy for anyone to stay updated along with an entire group.

Thing # 6

I was amazed at the number of apps available on the Web 2.0 site. It was easy to navigate and even has a sidebar to help refine your search. I want to share the site http://kidoz.net/. This site offers an app that filters the internet and only allows pre-approved sites and content. This is extremely inportant in order to protect out young students from the vast amount of unsafe and adult content that is easily accessable. This app may be similar to filters already being used in schools and librarys, I know that my 7 year old nephew browses the internet on a filter too.  This site offers pre approved videos as well as educational games.

Thing # 5

Web 2.0 is a new term for me. I have learned that it means the evolution of the internet into a fully interactive and collaborative resource. This same concept is being applied to the class room environment as School 2.0. This means that the instructional approach to teaching is evolving along with technology. After reviewing several sites and list, I see that the possibilities are truly limitless. Web based software and internet access now allow for a higher level of involvement of the student into their own learning experience. I found this site by Steve Hargadon to be very informative. http://www.stevehargadon.com/2008/03/web-20-is-future-of-education.html  The site lists the Top Ten Trends that are important to educators and learning with Web 2.0.
Trend #1: A New Publishing Revolution.
Trend #2: A Tidal Wave of Information.
Trend #3: Everything Is Becoming Participative.
Trend #4: The New Pro-sumers.  
Trend #5: The Age of the Collaborator.
Trend #6: An Explosion of Innovation.
Trend #7: The World Gets Even Flatter and Faster.
Trend #8: Social Learning Moves Toward Center Stage.
Trend #9: The Long Tail.
Trend #10: Social Networking Really (Opens Up the Party. 
I found this site to be extremely informative and I will be using it as a guide to help further my learning process into this new age of technology.  

Thing # 3

Once I have completed the 23 Things assignments, I feel I will be prepared to utilize blogs. I already have ideas on how to incorporate blogging into my classroom. I plan on creating a blog for my students and parents as well. This will be a more open and interactive way to communicate with them. I can post announcements, games, and suggested projects to further learning opportunities. Along the way, when I find interesting sites and resources, I will post them to share them with my blog community.

Thing # 4

This assignment requires us to comment on five blogs. At first I wanted to only post on people that I was familiar with. I decided to read and respond to blogs that I was not familiar with. This is a good way to start and branch out of  my comfort zone. I understand the value of building a base a friends and collegues within the teaching field. This will undoubtedly be a priceless resource in the future. Blogs allow a way ask for help, research, and post oppinions. I responded to blogs that reflected a positive outlook and offered helpful advise. Here is a list of blogs that i commented on. Matt Little's Thing 6 at http://frenchiemaj.blogspot.com/. Ashley Beazley's Thing 8 at http://beazley1.blogspot.com/. Jill Hutchisons Thing 8 at http://jhutchison23.blogspot.com/. Amanda Bartons Thing # 12 at http://amandafaithbarton.blogspot.com/. And Pollie Armstrong's Thing 10 at http://pollieann.blogspot.com/. I commented on these blogs because I shared a similar view with each one. I feel that each blog was informative and professional. My responses we meant to say that I agree with the views they posted and often I learned something beneficial from reading these posts. I understand the value of the blogging community within the education field.
For the section of the assignment where we look for blogs of personal interest, First I chose NPR's music blog because the site offers a massive collection of styles and genres. I am a huge music fan and this site also has an almost scholorly feel to it. They also take their music very seriously. Here is a link if interested http://www.npr.org/music/blogs/. The next blog is chose to follw is for go big or go home travelers blog at http://gobigorgohomeblog.com/. This site if fun to visit and get ideas for my next expidetion or simply to live vicariously through others. I highly recommend checking out this blog.